What is the difference you might ask?  A very good question since they are so closely related.  You can have anxiety without panic, but you cannot have panic without anxiety.  I will explain the differences from my personal experience.

Anxiety

Both cause feelings of anxiousness and an elevated heart rate (mine hits about 100-120).  If you are feeling fidgety and cannot focus on anything you might be feeling anxious.  Anxiety is often accompanied by be racing thoughts that seem to be set on repeat.  The things that are making you anxious will often run in circles through your brain creating ruts where they can get stuck.

Recommendations  Do something outside of your routine:

• Have friends over to play games or watch movies and don’t forget to include your favorite snacks.
• Go out and do something you’ve been wanting to do.
• Do you have a hobby that you find relaxing?  Take some time and just enjoy immersing yourself in it.
• Volunteer somewhere or do some community service.
• Make bread by hand.  It is great for working out your frustrations.

Panic

Recommendations  Get out of the situation and find someplace quiet.  Usually by this time the anxiety management techniques have failed.  Often the best thing you can do is medicate.  Sleep is your best friend at this point.  Prepare for the hangover and rebound migraine.  Allow at least three days for recovery.

Sounds like a lot of fun doesn’t it.  I used to do this several times a day, every day.  Needless to say I had difficulty functioning.  My children suffered the most because if anyone touched me I would crawl out of my skin.  The best part was when Pots attacked while Bip was having a tantrum.  Reboot.

What is reboot?  Well, if you try to do too many things simultaneously on your computer it locks up and you have to reboot.  Did you know that your brain works the same way?  I would pass out.  Sometimes it was only for a second or two.  Once it lasted a couple of hours.  When this happened I was out of commission for the rest of the day.  It meant marshmallow and movie time.  The kids would snuggle up, we’d open a bag of marshmallows and watch a fun movie.  Laughter was always good to help with recovery.

A Better Way

Before I go any further I must tell you that I am a snake oil skeptic.  For those of you who do not know what that means, here is where the term comes from.  In the early days of this country people would go around in wagons selling “remedies” that would cure everything.  Many times they were made from “snake oil” or something that didn’t really exist.  They often used river water, cooking herbs, grease, oils and other substances to create these “remedies” that did not work.  I looked at natural products that way.  They were snake oil products that did not work.  I can honestly say that there was no placebo effect because I knew that these things would NOT work.  That said, here is what I have found.

There are natural ways to medicate that do not give you the drugged, brain-dead feeling.  I have found two that I have found most beneficial.  They actually work better than the medication that I was prescribed.  A LOT better.  Bip and Pots were put to sleep and didn’t bother me unless I let my stress get out of hand and my sleep became insufficient.

The first is a mangosteen juice put out my Xango.  It is the only one that has the complete fruit which is what works the best for me.  I found out about what it would do quite by accident.  I was at a friends and we were playing games.  I had a panic attack and had not brought my medication.  I had ridden with my brother and it was an hour one way so I was just going to sit quietly in a corner and crochet while I watched.  My friend poured me about 3 oz of Xango and gave it to me.  I was feeling a little desperate so I drank it knowing that it would do me no good.  I was shocked when I began feeling better within about 20 minutes.  The panic was lessened to serious anxiety which was manageable.  I was able to participate in the game and have a fairly good time.

The second is an herbal that was put together by a nutritional bio-chemist from the University of Utah for extreme athletes.  It was formulated to help the athletes stay better balanced chemically so that they could perform at their best.  It is called Eleviv.  I started taking it and was very happily surprised at the results.  Within four days I no longer had insomnia.  Within two weeks the panic attacks stopped completely.  Within a month the anxiety attacks had stopped and I was off my anxiety medication.

Individually they work wonders, but together it is a miracle.  It works so well that my mother has threatened to kill me if I go off them, LOL.  My children like me.  They and other family members have purchased the Eleviv when I have run out.

Lately, the stress I’ve been under has been somewhat more than normal and is on the rise.  It is just current circumstances that will pass, eventually.  I am struggling, but I am not down.  Thanks to these wonderful natural products I don’t feel drugged, lethargic, peanut butter brained, nor am I eating my way through the day.  The best part is that I am not totally incapacitated by Bip and Pots.  I have to work a little slower and manage my energy carefully, but I am still getting things done.  I even have the emotional energy to be there for my 8-year-old daughter.

If you are interested in more information on these products feel free to visit my website and leave me your information.  If you just want to just watch the videos, feel free to do so.

• Eleviv
• Xango Juice

NOTE: These are personal experiences and used along with proper nutrition and other stress management tools.

• Because bipolar is a chemical imbalance I do take a mood stabilizer and an anti-depressant.  But I am now only taking 2 medications instead of 5.
• Post traumatic stress is exactly what it says.  Stress caused by a traumatic event or series of events that cause extreme emotional reactions to similar stimuli.